The present invention relates to a signal transmitting/receiving method, a semiconductor device manufacturing method, a semiconductor device, and a tester.
In order to test an internal circuit of the semiconductor device in its wafer state, there have been attempts to probe a pad on a chip surface of the semiconductor device for supplying an electric power or to transmit and receive signals for observation. Such techniques have been disclosed in the following Patent Documents.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-30877 discloses a technique for performing a test by mounting a test circuit and a wireless communication circuit in a semiconductor integrated circuit device, and using wireless signals to control the test circuit.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-344448 discloses a voltage probe chip having a sensor electrode which is disposed facing a signal line to be monitored on a semiconductor chip so as to detect a voltage change of the signal line as an induced voltage caused by electrostatic induction.
However, the inventors have found the following problems. There are problems in that the pad is damaged by a tester needle during a probe test, causing a connection failure later when the pad is bonded, or the pad is scratched to generate scrap materials causing contamination, and the like. There is another problem in that the more the chip size is reduced and the more the number of pads per chip is increased, the more the pad size and the inter-pad pitch is reduced, and thereby the more difficult it is to provide a well electrical connection by contacting a large number of probe needles corresponding to a large number of pads. In order to prevent such problems, it is preferable to transmit and receive signals to and from the internal circuit without using the probe needles.
However, in order to obtain signals having intensity enough to transmit and receive the signals by electromagnetic induction using an inductor, it is necessary to increase the inductor size, which increases the area necessary to provide the inductors. In particular, in order to provide a large number of inductors corresponding to a large number of pads, the area necessary to provide the inductors is greatly increased.